An online magazine (www.holdinghands.it) with an open source software dealt with the questions of peace and edited by schools in Israel, Palestine and Rome
Peace has always been Humanity’s dream. The current conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is unfortunately the longest and biggest obstacle to peace in the Middle East. Any solution that stands a chance of settling the dispute must be based on dialogue, however, and must be deeply rooted in the hearts and minds of these two peoples. Any action that contributes to achieving this objective must be attempted, even if it only seems to be just a drop in the ocean. When flowing together, many drops may bring about an oceanic change.
In 2004, one of these many drops took the form of a project promoted by Fondazione Mondo Digitale and the Tapuah Association. Based on an "e-zine" entitled Holding Hands the project aimed at promoting reciprocal dialogue, the sharing of experience and awareness, working together, and reciprocal comprehension between teachers and students in different schools in Israel, Palestine, and Rome.
The online magazine dealt with the questions of peace, culture, politics, media coverage, and current events as seen through the eyes of students. There were also sections dedicated to music, entertainment, sports, and the natural kingdom.
A simple procedure was devised to manage the e-zine’s multi-lingual form.
The worsening situation in Palestine began compromising the participation of the schools in Palestine and the project was suspended halfway through 2006. Despite this, we remain convinced that dialogue is the only path to follow and Holding Hands is a step in the right direction.